PA vows to Palestinians
to complete its statehood bid at the UN
in spite of possible negative consequences

Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

The Palestinian Authority has done its utmost to promise its population that the PA leadership will follow through with its request for Palestinian statehood at the UN this week. The PA has stressed that it will not be deterred by the possibility of an American veto, nor by the danger of losing foreign funding.

For the past month, Palestinian media has been expanding the number of news articles, ads and TV spots highlighting the Palestinian UN request, which by now is an all-encompassing campaign - "Palestine - the 194th state" national campaign.

For example, on Sept. 18 the official PA daily published on pages 1-16 approximately 75 news articles out of which 43 were about the UN bid, many of them documenting expressions of support from the region and around the world.

The PA campaign logo in the corner on top of every page of the official PA daily.

Support ads for the statehood bid on the front page of the official PA daily.

The PA campaign logo along with the words appearing in English "UN - Palestine state 194" and in Arabic: "The State of Palestine" is in the corner on top of every page of the PA daily every day. (See scan to the right.)

The front page of the daily on Sept. 19 included seven ads of support. (See scan to the right.) No expressions of opposition to PA request for statehood at the UN have been published in the official PA media.

PA TV talk shows have been exclusively focused on the PA campaign and PA TV has broadcast numerous clips extolling it. The Voice of Palestine radio has had spots in different languages, including Hebrew, calling for recognition of the Palestinian state and public events have been dedicated to the UN statehood campaign.

Palestinian Media Watch has collected some of these TV spots showing examples of the anticipation of the PA statehood request. The following are the texts in the TV spots:

1. Declare "the State of Palestine" song
A song praising the statehood bid and PA Chairman Abbas. Video clips show different pictures of Palestinians, Yasser Arafat and Abbas. One clip chosen of Arafat shows him handing a gun to someone.

Excerpts of the song:

"We're coming, we're coming
To declare our state, Palestine
We will not forget, we will not forget
Your land and [our] yearning for you

We came to say out loud
[We want] to live with dignity or die
Wherever you want [us], we will be
Mahmoud Abbas, you are great

Oh, Mahmoud Abbas, the elder
The nation is behind you no matter what"

2. The UN logo is shown as a puzzle missing a piece. The Palestinian flag in the form of a puzzle piece completes the UN puzzle One of the two Palestinian anthems "My Homeland" is played in the background.

3. The "flying UN seat" of "Palestine"
The PA created a chair with the text "Palestine's Right. A full membership in the United Nations". The chair has been touring different capitals in the world and is supposed to arrive in New York on Sept. 20.
Opening text of spot: "We're going to the UN, carrying our seat in our hands."

4. Spot showing that recognition of "Palestine" is "for the sake of Jerusalem," "for the sake of the prisoners," "for the sake of the return [of refugees]." Text shown further says "I will not remain a refugee - I will return." "For the sake of freedom and independence." "The national campaign, the State of Palestine - 194."

5. Spot with girl dreaming of "Palestine". A young Palestinian girl in a car is going through an Israeli check-point and dreams of the independent Palestinian state, visualizing a Palestinian airport and going through the passport control.

The PA broadcast a conciliatory message to Israelis in Hebrew on Voice of Palestine radio:

"The Voice of Palestine here, peace with the Palestinians has been offered to you, peace with the Palestinians based on the '67 borders. Palestine is the 194th state in the UN. Israelis! We appeal to you to accept the two-state solution, that way we'll live side by side, Palestine and Israel. The choice is yours. You can choose peace for the sake of a bright future for both of us, or choose to continue the struggle which will lead to tragic results. Are you willing for your children to be in tanks for life? You have suffered and so have we. You can end the suffering of all of us. This is the Voice of Palestine."